Rotary pump



l.. E. VAN BEUNING ROTARY PUMP Filed April 28, 1959 /NVE/V TOR 01//5 E, VAN 55u/WN@ ATTORNEY;

United States Patent Filed Apr. 2s, 1959, ser. No. 809,524 1 Claim. (ci. 10s- 130) This invention generally relates to pumps, compressors and the like, and is more particularly directed towards such apparatus in which anl eccentric rotary member is disposed Within the pump or compressor housing to effect movement of the uid therethrough.

Heretofore, rotary pumps in which a rotor is mounted eccentrically of the pump housing or casing have been widely used for numerous re-asons of advantage. However, such pumps are normally constructed with a ixed housing, and a shaft or other means extending through the housing and connected to the eccentrically disposed rotor for driving the latter in an orbital path against the side walls of the chamber of the casing.v Such an 'arrangement obviously necessitates the use of packing glands, bearings and the like -for the support of the shaft and the proper sealing of the housing, and likewise presents the danger of overloading the motor or shaft drive means in the event some foreign object is introduced in the pump and is wedged between the rotor and the casing.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rotary pump utilizing `a rotor positioned generally eccentrically ofthe pump casing in which movement of the rotor is effected solely by limited movement of the casing, thereby eliminating the need of a rotor shaft, packing glands, bearings and the like. y

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatusof the character described in which centrifugal force is utilized to effect movement of the rotor around the inner periphery of the pump casing, thereby causing ow of uid between a pair of ponts provided in the casing.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pump arrangement `as above described in which simple means are utilized for causing the pump casing to move in a substantially translational orbital path, thereby causing rolling movement of a rotor freely disposed within the casing chamber.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope ofthe invention as set forth inthe claims.

Referring to said drawing:

FIGURE l is a cross sectional View of the pump of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is `a cross sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated by line 2-2 of FIGURE il.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are views sim-ilar to FIGURE l, but on a reduced scale, and showing various positions of the rotor and casing.

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of a modified form of the apparatus, showing a pair of pump units mounted for simultaneous operation.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but on a reduced scale, and showing a further modilied form of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view, similar to FIG- URE 2, but on a reduced scale, and disclosing a still further embodiment ofthe present invention.

As hereinabove stated, the pump apparatus of the present invention is designed so that a freely disposed rotor may be placed within a pump casing having inlet and outlet ports, and by a small orbital motion im- "ice parted to the casing, the rotor, of a smaller diameter than the diameter of the casing chamber in which it is disposed, will be caused to roll or otherwise move -along the casing member wall to effect movement of iiuid between the respective ports.

Referring first to FIGURES l through 5 of the drawings, the pump will be seen to comprise a generally cylindrical casing 12 having an 'annular side wall 13 and parallel opposed end walls 14 and 16 respectively. The end walls may be bolted or otherwise secured to the side wall in order to define a substantially sealed chamber 17 of cylindrical form. A circumferentially extending portion of the side wall 13 may be provided with `a radially enlarnecl emboss-ment 18 through which a pair of ports 19 and 21 provide communication to the chamber 17 from exteriorly of the casing, as will be hereinafter described in more detail. The port 19 may be described las .the inlet opening for the iiuid and the port 21 the outlet opening therefor, land the arrows shown adjacent such ports indicate the direction of fluid flow therethrough.

Disposed within the pump chamber 17 is a cylindrical rotor 23 having side walls 24 and 26 substantially immediately adjacent the side walls of the casing. In order to prevent uid flow between the walls of the rotor and the casing, the rotor is preferably provided with rubber seal members 2.9 extending outwardly from adjacent Vthe periphery of the rotor and engageable with the casing side walls. It will be noted that the diameter of the rotor is substantially less than the diameter of the chamber 17 whereby there is for all practical purposes only a line contact between the rotor and the casing wall 13 irrespective of the position of the rotor within the casing. As previously-explained, in accordance with conventional pump design, the construction just above described would normally further include a shaft secured to the rotor eccentrically thereof and extending through the end walls of the casing so that upon shaft rotation the rotor would follow an orbital path around the casing side wall. However, in accordance with the present invention, the shaft and its accompanying disadvantageous features can be completely eliminated, and as will be clear from the drawing, the rotor is freely rotatable within the pump chamber with the peripheral wall 31 thereof spaced at varying distances from the casing side wall 13. Consequently, in order to effect movement of the rotor to the various positions illustrated in the drawing to likewise effect uid ow from the port 19 through the port 21, it is necessary that means be provided for centrifugally moving the rotor in the orbital path disclosed.

As here illustrated, such rotor movement may be effected by moving the casing in a substantially translational orbital path about an axis generally parallel to the axes of the casing and rotor, thereby centrifugally urging the rotor into engagement with the casing side lwall while rolling thereabout. Such casing movement may be accomplished in a number of Ways, but as here shown, one end wall 14 of the casing is provided with an axial stub shaft 36 extending therefrom. This stub shaft is journalled to a crank arm 37 carried on a drive shaft 38, the latter being supported in any suitable bracket or support means 39. The support means 39 is provided with a stationary pin 41 extending therefrom in generally parallel relation to the shaft 38 and such pin is engage` able With a slot 42 provided in an extension 43 of the casing wall 14. It will thus be clear that upon rotation of the drive shaft 38, the casing will be moved in a generally orbital path through the various positions shown in FIGURES 2 through 5 inclusive, while remaining in a plane generally normal to the axis of the casing. This movement will result in a centrifugal force being applied to the rotor 23 and the latter will thereupon roll around the casing side wall 13 and thereby cause the passage of uid between the respective ports.

In order to properly control and effect uid iiow, a slidable abutment member to continuously seal the direct passage between the inlet and outlet ports is provided, and here again, such abutment member may assume a number of different forms. In the embodiment disclosed in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the embossed casing portion 18 is provided with a radially extending sleeve 46 in alignment with .port 21 and having a portion 47 to which a flexible conduit 48 may be connected. Disposed within the sleeve 46 is a spring 49 engaging the upper end of a hollow abutment member 51, the latter being slidable through the outlet port 21 provided in the casing and being in sealing relationship with the rotor 23 and the casing end wall 13 and side walls 14 and 16. The lower end of the abutment member 51 has an opening 52 disposed therein so that upon rotation of the rotor in the direction of the arrows, the uid entering the chamber from port 19 will be forced into the opening 52, pass upwardly or radially outwardly through a passage 53 in the member 51, through the member 46 and thence into the exible conduit 48. If desired, a check valve may be incorporated with the abutment member such as by utilizing a ball 54 which may be seated against the opening 52 by uid back pressure, but which will unseat upon uid in the chamber being forced thereagainst. The inlet port could likewise be provided with check valves of a similar nature. From the foregoing, it will be seen that the abutment member 51 is constantly urged into engagement with the periphery of the rotor irrespective of the position of the casing or of the rotor relative thereto.

A different form of sliding abutment member is shown in FIGURE 7 of the drawing wherein the casing is provided with an enclosed cylindrical extension 61 disposed medially of the inlet and outlet ports. Slidably mounted in the extension 61 is an abutment member 62 which is likewise urged into engagement with the rotor periphery by a spring 63, although in some instances depending upon the position of the casing, gravity will maintain the 'abutment member in contiguous relation with the rotor periphery.

Irrespective of the type of abutment member used, in view of the movement of the casing about its orbital path, the casing will not rotate, but the oscillatory movement necessitates at least a short length of flexible tubing or conduit between the respective ports and the lines to which they are connected. The flexible conduit 48, previously described, is adequate for the outlet valve and a similar flexible conduit 66 is connected to vthe inlet port 19 such as by engagement with a nipple 67 extending radially from the embossment 18 in alignment with such port.

In view of the fact that the casing may be relatively rapidly moved in its aforementioned orbital path, a degree of unbalance might be created, and to avoid the foregoing, it may be desirable to utilize a pair of pumps as disclosed in FIGURE 6 to provide a more balanced structure. In this case, the respective pump units 71 and 72 may be of the type shown in FIGURE l or FIGURE 7 and the two units are mounted on a common drive shaft 73, here shown as Ihorizontally disposed. The ends of the drive shaft are angularly deformed as shown at 74 and continue into crank arm extensions 76 parallel to the drive shaft, such crank arms being journalled to axial stub shafts 77 of the respective pump units. The bracket and sliding pin arrangement discussed in connection with the main embodiment of the invention may likewise be used here.

FIGURE 8 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention wherein an extremely heavy pump may be utilized, and in this case, the apparatus is placed in a horizontal position with the casing driven in any suitable manner such as that previously described. However, in order to provide a firm support for the casing, a supporting structure 81 is utilized. This structure includes a horizontally disposed base plate 82 having upturned flanges 83 adjacent the periphery thereof. The base plate is provided with recesses 84 in the upper surface thereof with balls 85 placed therein so as to fully support the casing for rolling movement during its oscillatory movement. By the same token, the end wall 86 of the casing may be provided with recesses with similar balls 87 disposed within the recesses for supporting the lower surface of the rotor.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that while the apparatus of the instant invention is actually simpler in construction and operation than rotary pumps heretofore utilized, it possesses numerous advantageous features not heretofore available with prior art devices. The fact that numerous parts subject to leak have been eliminated is an important factor, and it should also be pointed out that the motor, not shown, or other drive means for the drive shaft, cannot be overloaded since the rotor can be jammed within the casing, such as by the introduction of foreign solid material therein or undue pressures, but the casing may continue its eccentric movement.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus of the character described, comprising a generally cylindrical casing including end walls and an annular side wall having an inlet port and a circumferentially spaced outlet port, a generally cylindrical rotor positioned within said end walls in sealing relationship and having the axis thereof parallel to the casing axis and a diameter less than that of said casing, an abutment member extending from said casing into engagement with the periphery of said rotor and in sealing contact with said rotor and said end walls to normally seal said ports from each other, means urging said abutment member into such engagement irrespective of the position of said rotor in said casing, a flange extending radially outwardly from said casing and having a slot therein, a fixed projecting member received in said slot whereby said flange is slidable on said projecting member and said projecting member serves to prevent said casing from rotating on its axis, a shaft attached to an end wall of said casing, and a rotatable crank arm journalled to said shaft whereby rotation of said crank arm causes said casing to assume a substantially translational orbital movement centrifugally urging said rotor into engagement with continuous portions ofthe side wall of the casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,361,343 Marion Dec. 7, 1920 1,683,390 Kagi Sept. 4, 1928 1,888,544 Simmen Nov. 22, 1932 1,960,267 Kagi May 29, 1934 2,004,726 Kagi June 11, 1935 

